Thursday, September 27, 2007

I did not know where to begin when being faced with the task of writing about abuse for the BlogCatalog Blog Against Abuse Challenge Sadly this is a massive topic. I decided to emphasize the sheer size of the problems and issues involved relating to Human Rights Violations.

Reading this you may think the problems are too massive to solve/they are not in my country/I can't do anything to help solve this. They are all too easy to brush aside because they are too painful to really think about or day to day matters command our time and attention. I urge you to take some time to think, to read blogs taking part in this challenge and consider in what ways you can make a contribution to help solve the problem. A small donation by all who read the blogs today would add up to a massive amount. For my part if one person donates, or if one person reads something here today that makes them volunteer their time and efforts then it will be worthwhile.

Refugees

Refugees and displaced people face food and water shortages, poor shelter, landmines, attacks by armed groups and disease. Women and children are particularly at risk of sexual abuse, threats and exploitation. The elderly and disabled face intimidation and neglect.

Today, around 40 million people are displaced worldwide from such countries as Afghanistan, Burundi, Iraq, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Sudan. Approximately 10 million are displaced in the Asia Pacific region and four million Iraqis

The number of people displaced from southeast Turkey during the 15-year conflict between government forces and the armed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) has been estimated at over one million mainly Kurdish villagers.

2.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Darfur, Sudan, and are living in vast, crowded camps in both Darfur and across the border in Chad.

In Uganda almost 2 million or 95% of the Acholi people have been herded into about 200 vast crowded camps.

Child Slavery

There has been a a resurgence in the illegal trafficking of child slaves in the last decade, particularly in the western African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Nigeria and Togo.The UN has reported that at least 200,000 children are trafficked annually in the west and central African slave trade For more information - Freedom from slavery

The Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Dominican women and children are trafficked to Western Europe, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Panama, and Suriname. Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery

Around 30,000 Haitian children are illegally smuggled into the Dominican Republic every year to work as child prostitutes or be forced into other degrading occupations "On market day in Dajabón, a bustling Dominican town on the Haitian border, you can pick up many bargains if you know where to look. You can haggle the price of a live chicken down to 40 pesos ...... buy a Haitian child for the equivalent of £54.22" - Haitian Children Sold as Slave Laborers and Prostitutes

Darfur -Sudan Thousands of civilians have been brutally massacred, raped and violently separated from their families. In mid-2003, government-supported Arab Janjaweed militia began undertaking a policy of ethnic cleansing towards the civilian population of African tribes. The attacks by the government forces and allied militias led to the deaths of over 200,000 Darfurians. 2.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes and are living in vast, crowded camps in both Darfur and across the border in Chad. Now entering its fifth year, the Darfur crisis continues to be one of the world’s largest concentrations of human suffering. More than 4.5 million people are now affected by the conflict - Oxfam - Sudan

Central African Republic The army has killed hundreds of innocent civilians and forced tens of thousands to flee their villages, Some of the killings involved unspeakable brutality. Rebel forces have also committed serious abuses. The Popular Army for the Restoration of the Republic and Democracy (APRD) rebels, have engaged in widespread extortion and forced taxation, looting of livestock, kidnappings for ransom, beatings of civilians, and have been blamed for the killing of a civilian and an international humanitarian aid worker. France is still providing provide military assistance to CAR and has deployed troops to help the government fight rebel forces, more information. The Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) rebels, have also carried out serious abuses, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians, unlawful killings and summary executions, and massive looting of the civilian population. Both the APRD and UFDR have large numbers of child soldiers in their ranks, but are in discussions with UNICEF about the demobilization of these children.

Chad,- more than 300 civilians were killed and at least 17,000 people displaced in militia violence in November 2006

Southern Thailand In their efforts to establish an independent state in Thailand’s southern border provinces, separatist groups are killing and mutilating civilians and attacking schools, community clinics, and Buddhist temples, Thai militants 'target civilians'

Zimbabwe has a new generation of political orphans. Sons and daughters have seen their parents murdered. Parents have seen their sons and daughters persecuted. Workers have seen colleagues arrested and tortured for their political beliefs.

In Uganda An entire society - the Acholi - is being systematically destroyed –physically, culturally, socially and economically – in full view of the international community. This has been going on non-stop for almost 20 years but Western governments have turned a blind eye to a pliant regime and dictatorship under President Museveni that practices genocide,” Mr Otunnu said.or over 10 years a population of almost two million people (95 percent of the Acholi) have been herded into about 200 concentration camps where they live like animals. An estimated 1,000 people die in these camps each week; 41 percent of children under 5 years have seriously stunted growth due to malnutrition and two generations of children have been denied education as a matter of policy by the government.

On the other side of the conflict The brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency enters its twentieth year with no end in sight,Ugandan soldiers have tortured and unlawfully killed civilians thousands of children have been abducted by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and recruited as child soldiers and sex slaves. Olara Otunnu, the former United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict said “In Uganda HIV/AIDS has become a deliberate weapon of mass destruction. Soldiers who have tested HIV-positive are especially deployed to the north with a mission to commit maximum havoc on the local girls and women,Uganda worst place on earth for children

Women

Combatants and their sympathizers in conflicts, such as those in Sierra Leone, Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, and Rwanda, have raped women as a weapon of war with near complete impunity.

Men in Pakistan, South Africa, Peru, Russia, and Uzbekistan beat women in the home at astounding rates

As a direct result of inequalities found in their countries of origin, women from Ukraine, Moldova, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Burma, and Thailand are bought and sold, trafficked to work in forced prostitution

Millions of women and girls worldwide are forced to marry and have sex with men they do not desire

11 comments:

you have certainly highlighted the overwhelming need for the individual to contribute to these causes......it's horrifying to note the terrible abuse happening in our world today....yet history is repeating itself.......how many have ignored slavery over the centuries....and the ultimate abuse ....the terrible effects of war.......

Excellent. You certainly do show the scale of the problem. I hadn't heard of this challenge until I happened along your blog.

I heard of appalling evidence of multiple abuse today: In Swaziland, where unwanted pregnancies are common, abortion is illegal and two-thirds of the population live in poverty, about 80 foetuses were found in a stream. Rising poverty has led to a rise in the number of women turning to sex-work - exchanging sex for a meal is common. The men don't use condoms, the women can't insist. The risk of contracting HIV is high.

Amazing post, Sue. It's frightening to think that people derive value or satisfaction in some way from abusing others. Your post makes me rethink my idea of a bad day. Thanks for this and for this info.

I was planning to blog about whiteslavery, but your post is a model of perfection in that you've included almost everything to be said or written! Such a great post! I'm proud to count you as a friend...you're a GREAT blogger!

Reading things like this does make me realise how very lucky I am to have been born where I was. I hope I can keep this in mind if I wish for more of anything - especially material things. Thanks for your kind comments. I am going to put my blog sidebar back now - I felt the article deserved the whole page to itself.

You have blogged on an important topic. I very much appreciate your deep concern and the courage to bring it to the notice of the readers.There are indeed the priveliged and underpriveliged members of society.we name them as "uganda,child abused, sex abused etc etc "but after going thro all this analysis it comes to the human mind. you have indeed done it very effectively and looking at your background it definitely will be an eye-opener to your readers.oh sue! it was indeed a nice gesture.

History continues to repeat itself doesn't it, and they tell us that we are now living in civilized societies? Invade Iraq, yet ignore what Mugabe is doing, slavery is rife, as is mass murder in many countries, yet the powers that be turn a blind eye or whimper a few sympathetic words! That's really going to help isn't it!!

Great post Sue.

BTW, you have an award to collect: http://grottynosh.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/totally-fabulous-award/

PRISONERSIt is a thing of power to have someone in control,A raghead seeking trouble so I´ll give him plenty some,It´s fun to play tormentor though there isn´t any goalBeyond the cruel infliction--yeah, so maybe it was dumb.

They´re like subhuman animals a person gets so sick,The hospitality is not so pleasant over there,It doesn´t take a sadist to get pleasure from a kick,But I´m glad to be gone--miasma seems to hover there.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

I did not know where to begin when being faced with the task of writing about abuse for the BlogCatalog Blog Against Abuse Challenge Sadly this is a massive topic. I decided to emphasize the sheer size of the problems and issues involved relating to Human Rights Violations.

Reading this you may think the problems are too massive to solve/they are not in my country/I can't do anything to help solve this. They are all too easy to brush aside because they are too painful to really think about or day to day matters command our time and attention. I urge you to take some time to think, to read blogs taking part in this challenge and consider in what ways you can make a contribution to help solve the problem. A small donation by all who read the blogs today would add up to a massive amount. For my part if one person donates, or if one person reads something here today that makes them volunteer their time and efforts then it will be worthwhile.

Refugees

Refugees and displaced people face food and water shortages, poor shelter, landmines, attacks by armed groups and disease. Women and children are particularly at risk of sexual abuse, threats and exploitation. The elderly and disabled face intimidation and neglect.

Today, around 40 million people are displaced worldwide from such countries as Afghanistan, Burundi, Iraq, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Sudan. Approximately 10 million are displaced in the Asia Pacific region and four million Iraqis

The number of people displaced from southeast Turkey during the 15-year conflict between government forces and the armed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) has been estimated at over one million mainly Kurdish villagers.

2.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes in Darfur, Sudan, and are living in vast, crowded camps in both Darfur and across the border in Chad.

In Uganda almost 2 million or 95% of the Acholi people have been herded into about 200 vast crowded camps.

Child Slavery

There has been a a resurgence in the illegal trafficking of child slaves in the last decade, particularly in the western African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Nigeria and Togo.The UN has reported that at least 200,000 children are trafficked annually in the west and central African slave trade For more information - Freedom from slavery

The Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Dominican women and children are trafficked to Western Europe, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Panama, and Suriname. Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery

Around 30,000 Haitian children are illegally smuggled into the Dominican Republic every year to work as child prostitutes or be forced into other degrading occupations "On market day in Dajabón, a bustling Dominican town on the Haitian border, you can pick up many bargains if you know where to look. You can haggle the price of a live chicken down to 40 pesos ...... buy a Haitian child for the equivalent of £54.22" - Haitian Children Sold as Slave Laborers and Prostitutes

Darfur -Sudan Thousands of civilians have been brutally massacred, raped and violently separated from their families. In mid-2003, government-supported Arab Janjaweed militia began undertaking a policy of ethnic cleansing towards the civilian population of African tribes. The attacks by the government forces and allied militias led to the deaths of over 200,000 Darfurians. 2.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes and are living in vast, crowded camps in both Darfur and across the border in Chad. Now entering its fifth year, the Darfur crisis continues to be one of the world’s largest concentrations of human suffering. More than 4.5 million people are now affected by the conflict - Oxfam - Sudan

Central African Republic The army has killed hundreds of innocent civilians and forced tens of thousands to flee their villages, Some of the killings involved unspeakable brutality. Rebel forces have also committed serious abuses. The Popular Army for the Restoration of the Republic and Democracy (APRD) rebels, have engaged in widespread extortion and forced taxation, looting of livestock, kidnappings for ransom, beatings of civilians, and have been blamed for the killing of a civilian and an international humanitarian aid worker. France is still providing provide military assistance to CAR and has deployed troops to help the government fight rebel forces, more information. The Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) rebels, have also carried out serious abuses, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians, unlawful killings and summary executions, and massive looting of the civilian population. Both the APRD and UFDR have large numbers of child soldiers in their ranks, but are in discussions with UNICEF about the demobilization of these children.

Chad,- more than 300 civilians were killed and at least 17,000 people displaced in militia violence in November 2006

Southern Thailand In their efforts to establish an independent state in Thailand’s southern border provinces, separatist groups are killing and mutilating civilians and attacking schools, community clinics, and Buddhist temples, Thai militants 'target civilians'

Zimbabwe has a new generation of political orphans. Sons and daughters have seen their parents murdered. Parents have seen their sons and daughters persecuted. Workers have seen colleagues arrested and tortured for their political beliefs.

In Uganda An entire society - the Acholi - is being systematically destroyed –physically, culturally, socially and economically – in full view of the international community. This has been going on non-stop for almost 20 years but Western governments have turned a blind eye to a pliant regime and dictatorship under President Museveni that practices genocide,” Mr Otunnu said.or over 10 years a population of almost two million people (95 percent of the Acholi) have been herded into about 200 concentration camps where they live like animals. An estimated 1,000 people die in these camps each week; 41 percent of children under 5 years have seriously stunted growth due to malnutrition and two generations of children have been denied education as a matter of policy by the government.

On the other side of the conflict The brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency enters its twentieth year with no end in sight,Ugandan soldiers have tortured and unlawfully killed civilians thousands of children have been abducted by the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and recruited as child soldiers and sex slaves. Olara Otunnu, the former United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict said “In Uganda HIV/AIDS has become a deliberate weapon of mass destruction. Soldiers who have tested HIV-positive are especially deployed to the north with a mission to commit maximum havoc on the local girls and women,Uganda worst place on earth for children

Women

Combatants and their sympathizers in conflicts, such as those in Sierra Leone, Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, and Rwanda, have raped women as a weapon of war with near complete impunity.

Men in Pakistan, South Africa, Peru, Russia, and Uzbekistan beat women in the home at astounding rates

As a direct result of inequalities found in their countries of origin, women from Ukraine, Moldova, Nigeria, the Dominican Republic, Burma, and Thailand are bought and sold, trafficked to work in forced prostitution

Millions of women and girls worldwide are forced to marry and have sex with men they do not desire

11 comments:

you have certainly highlighted the overwhelming need for the individual to contribute to these causes......it's horrifying to note the terrible abuse happening in our world today....yet history is repeating itself.......how many have ignored slavery over the centuries....and the ultimate abuse ....the terrible effects of war.......

Excellent. You certainly do show the scale of the problem. I hadn't heard of this challenge until I happened along your blog.

I heard of appalling evidence of multiple abuse today: In Swaziland, where unwanted pregnancies are common, abortion is illegal and two-thirds of the population live in poverty, about 80 foetuses were found in a stream. Rising poverty has led to a rise in the number of women turning to sex-work - exchanging sex for a meal is common. The men don't use condoms, the women can't insist. The risk of contracting HIV is high.

Amazing post, Sue. It's frightening to think that people derive value or satisfaction in some way from abusing others. Your post makes me rethink my idea of a bad day. Thanks for this and for this info.

I was planning to blog about whiteslavery, but your post is a model of perfection in that you've included almost everything to be said or written! Such a great post! I'm proud to count you as a friend...you're a GREAT blogger!

Reading things like this does make me realise how very lucky I am to have been born where I was. I hope I can keep this in mind if I wish for more of anything - especially material things. Thanks for your kind comments. I am going to put my blog sidebar back now - I felt the article deserved the whole page to itself.

You have blogged on an important topic. I very much appreciate your deep concern and the courage to bring it to the notice of the readers.There are indeed the priveliged and underpriveliged members of society.we name them as "uganda,child abused, sex abused etc etc "but after going thro all this analysis it comes to the human mind. you have indeed done it very effectively and looking at your background it definitely will be an eye-opener to your readers.oh sue! it was indeed a nice gesture.

History continues to repeat itself doesn't it, and they tell us that we are now living in civilized societies? Invade Iraq, yet ignore what Mugabe is doing, slavery is rife, as is mass murder in many countries, yet the powers that be turn a blind eye or whimper a few sympathetic words! That's really going to help isn't it!!

Great post Sue.

BTW, you have an award to collect: http://grottynosh.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/totally-fabulous-award/

PRISONERSIt is a thing of power to have someone in control,A raghead seeking trouble so I´ll give him plenty some,It´s fun to play tormentor though there isn´t any goalBeyond the cruel infliction--yeah, so maybe it was dumb.

They´re like subhuman animals a person gets so sick,The hospitality is not so pleasant over there,It doesn´t take a sadist to get pleasure from a kick,But I´m glad to be gone--miasma seems to hover there.